Friday, November 06, 2015

Demographic Story of the Week: Death Rate Rises

The death rate of middle-aged white Americans is rising, according to a study by Princeton economists Angus Deaton (winner of the 2015 Nobel prize) and Anne Case and reported in the New York Times. The rise in the death rate is occurring among whites aged 45 to 54 and is limited to those with a high school diploma or less education. Behind the rise are more suicides and higher rates of drug and alcohol poisoning.

ABOUT ME

Demographer and editorial director of New Strategist Press, Cheryl Russell is the former editor-in-chief of American Demographics magazine and The Boomer Report. She has written numerous books about demographic trends. Ms. Russell is a professional demographer with a master's degree from Cornell University.